Skip to content

Volume of Distribution

For one-compartment models, the central volume, \(V\), is the volume of distribution of the drug.

Single Compartment Volume in Assess

Antibodies, antibody-like molecules, large protein biotherapeutics are generally restricted to the extracellular spaces in the body. In the peripheral blood, protein biotherapeutics are restricted to the non-cellular or plasma fraction.

For a one-compartment model, the compartment volume is defined as the volume of distribution. Antibodies and antibody-based biotherapeutics generally display consistent pharmacokinetic behavior, and the volume of distribution can be set to typical values. If pharmacokinetic data or parameters for a 2-compartment pharmacokinetic model are reported for a molecule, the reported volume of distribution can be used.

Typical Values

The typical volume of distribution for an antibody is 5.2 L (Dirks et. al).

References

  • Dirks NL and Meibohm B. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2010 Oct;49(10):633-59. PMID: 20818831; Davda JP, et al MAbs. 2014 July;6( 4):1094-1102. PMID: 24837591;
  • Betts A et al. MAbs. 2018 July;10(5):751-64. PMID:29634430